Casey Anthony Prosecutor Announces Run For State Attorney

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – One of the prosecutors from the Casey Anthony murder trial is running for the State’s Attorney’s Office in central Florida, challenging his former boss, according to WOFL-Fox 35.

Jeff Ashton worked for the office for 30 years and retired days after Anthony’s trail ended with an acquittal in the killing of her daughter, Caylee.

Ashton, 54, is running against Lawson Lamar, who has served as the Orange-Osceola state attorney since 1989 and previously served as Orange County Sheriff.

“It’s been more than 20 years since the voters of Orange and Osceola counties had a choice” for state attorney, Ashton said. “That decision has been made for them by politicians, for a politician. Today I stand before you to give voters a choice.”

Ashton, who wrote a book about the Anthony trial, told WOFL Fox 35 he hoped the case would not overshadow the election or the roughly 300 other cases he has tried in his career.

Another former prosecutor from Lamar's office, Ryan Williams, has also announced a bid for the state attorney's office. Ashton, Lamar and Williams are all Democrats. No Republican hasannounced plans to run.